Homecoming king Josh Olerud breaks into the open after taking handoff from #12 Blaine Storlie

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Bringing a No. 5 state ranking into their homecoming game, Spring Grove broke several school scoring records on the way to an 80-14 thrashing of Lyle/Pacelli.

Spring Grove starters scored on all 10 of their first-half possessions. Lion reserves then scored on two of three possessions during a running-clock shortened second half.

Four times the Lions needed only one play to cross the goal line. There was one two-play touchdown possession and a pair of three-play scoring strikes, although Spring Grove did have two sustained drives of 10 and 15 plays in the first half.

The game was played in the Athletics' end of the field. Nine Spring Grove possessions and all 13 L/P possessions began in L/P territory.

The Lions began with the passing game. On the first play from scrimmage, Blaine Storlie hit Homecoming King Josh Olerud with a short pass (his first reception of the season) that ended up 53 yards downfield in the end zone only 18 seconds into the game.

Despite having at least five passes dropped, Storlie still completed 9 of 16 for 136 yards and the team's first two touchdown tosses of the season.

All four Lion seniors scored, with tight-end Brandon Schuttemeier catching a 6-yard touchdown-toss. Storlie, a senior signal caller, tallied his six points on a 37-yard run and logged a game-high 216 yards of total offense with 60 rushing (4 carries) and 20 punt-return yards in addition to the 136 passing yards.

Senior wingback Spencer Dunn raced 44 yards for a TD on his only carry of the season. Besides his touchdown reception, Olerud (6 carries, 40 yards) had two rushing scores with 3 and 11-yard runs.

The senior running back/ receiver has scored three touchdowns in each of the four games this season.

For Junior Caleb Happel, three handoffs resulted in two touchdowns (on 19 and 12-yard runs).

Spring Grove's leading rusher, junior Matthew Schleich, got 96 yards on three carries. Like Happel, he scored on two of his three carries - 21 and 48-yard runs.

When freshman Gabe Solum (12 carries, 41 yards) scored his first varsity TD from six yards out, the 130-pound running back tied the school scoring record with the Lions' 72nd point.

The new scoring record occurred with TD number 12, on a six-yard scoring run by junior reserve Jacob Lenning in his first-ever varsity game.

Lenning had 64 yards on 10 carries. Solum capped the record-setting 80-point total with a two-point conversion run, since the reserves did not have a kick-conversion player.

In his varsity debut, French exchange student Tanguy de Monval had already booted through six extra-point kicks before halftime.

After setting a single-quarter record of 41 points in the second period of play, the Lions had a halftime-record 66 points and a 66-6 lead. Spring Grove let the clock run out by taking a knee on the last three plays of the first half.

Five different Lions caught passes including 2 for 30 yards by Schleich and 3 for 32 yards by freshman Alex Engelhardt who has had a reception in each game this season.

Junior Mitchell Anderson caught two Storlie tosses for 15 yards and had the defensive dazzler of the night when he grabbed an L/P pass on an acrobatic interception and return of 21 yards to L/P 12.

Despite that pick and three sacks, the only L/P offensive highlights came through the air. The Athletics managed only 11 yards rushing all night. Jordan Hart, however, completed 6 of 11 passes for 133 yards and 2 TDs. Of L/P's 144 total yards, 94 came on two pass plays.

It was 52-0 when Hart, a 5-foot 11-inch, 150-pound sophomore, found 5-8, 140 lb. freshman Daniel Bollingbrook behind the Spring Grove secondary for a 51-yard scoring toss late in first half.

Senior wide receiver David Diang took a short Hart pass and turned it into a 43-yard scoring play late in third quarter

While Spring Grove did not have a turnover, the Athletics lost possession four times - one interception and three lost fumbles. Freshman end Brady Schuttemeier recovered two L/P fumbles and Happel one.

Olerud and Happel led Lion tackling with nine total stops, with each being credited with three-and-a-half tackles-for-loss. Three of those lost-yardage plays were quarterback sacks by Happel. Storlie had two-and-a-half tackles-for-loss among his seven total tackles.

Overmatched in each of their four games this season, the Athletics have been outscored 205 to 38. With their third conference win, the Lions improved to 4-0 halfway through regular season and remained tied for first place with Grand Meadow.

Spring Grove's B-team (1-1) won at L/P 46-26, and the junior high Lions (3-1) defeated L/P 54-6 and Grand Meadow 37-0 last week.